Affordable Housing Strategy

The process for considering detached accessory dwelling units (backyard cottages) is currently happening through the Great Neighborhoods program, which is the city's program for writing neighborhood subarea plans. Right now, the Great Neighborhoods program is focused on Northeast and Northwest Bellevue. In future years other neighborhood areas will have the opportunity to address how backyard cottages might be included as a housing option in their neighborhood. 

Bellevue evaluates its needs for public facilities based on anticipated growth when updating the Capital Facilities Element of the Comprehensive Plan. The land needed for future public facilities is then taken into account when the City determines where population and employment growth should be located. Staff are reviewing potential impacts that could be associated with this proposed density bonus.

This density bonus will allow additional units of housing, but there are additional requirements in the zoning code that limit the size and placement of buildings. The code amendment will also consider adjustments to these other requirements so that it is physically possible to accommodate the additional units of housing. Staff are working to determine what adjustments are appropriate, and how they can be developed to minimize potential impacts with established neighborhoods. These adjustments will be clearly defined in the code.

The new C-1 density bonus is not a mandatory program, so market rate housing developers will not be required to provide affordable units.

The previous mandatory affordable housing program was removed from the code and replaced with an incentive based approach and was enacted by the City Council present at that time.

Under the current proposal, affordable housing developments eligible for this density bonus could build duplexes or triplexes in single family zoning districts. These districts are shown in yellow on this map. Only religious organizations would be eligible to build this type of housing in single family districts.

A few neighborhoods’ Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs) limit the type of housing that can be built to single family housing. This code amendment would not reverse these CC&Rs.

Encouraging ADUs is not part of this specific project, but the City is working to encourage ADUs through other, separate projects. A recent code amendment removed a three-year waiting period for homeowners to build new ADUs, and permits ADUs to be included in new construction.

The Great Neighborhoods planning process for Northeast and Northwest Bellevue is also discussing ADU policy for those subareas.

The code amendment will not set requirements for unit sizes or types. The units may be rented or sold, so long as the household renting or buying the unit meets income requirements. The development will need to comply with all applicable building codes.

Under the current proposal, all units in a project that receives a density bonus would have to be rented or sold to households earning less than 80% Area Median Income (AMI). For 2020 that means a single person earning $66,700 and a family of four earning $95,250 annually. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) updates AMI by household size for regions throughout the country every year. For AMI, Bellevue is part of a region that contains King and Snohomish Counties. Using this regional definition is useful because it is consistent across all of the various affordable housing funding sources.

In addition, these income limits must remain for the life of the housing development. An agreement must be recorded, and would remain for any future buyer of the property.

Thanks for your question. The action we're considering right now is very targeted. The proposed LUCA (Land Use Code Amendment) would amend section 20.20.128 of the Land Use Code. It would add an additional density bonus for permanent affordable housing development on select and suitable land owned by religious organizations, nonprofit organizations, and public entities.

This density bonus will help spread the cost of land across more units of housing than would be possible under current zoning. In addition, it provides an opportunity for religious organizations that may already have more land than they need to build affordable housing. State law also requires that the City provide a density bonus to certain types of eligible properties – faith, public surplus and non-profit owned.